cyst

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.

Copyright The Columbia University Press

cyst, abnormal sac in the body, filled with a fluid or semisolid and enclosed in a membrane. Cysts can be congenital but are usually acquired, the most common locations being the skin and the ovaries. Sebaceous cysts of the skin, known as blackheads or whiteheads, occur when dirt or other material blocks the oil glands of the skin, preventing secretions from escaping. Retention cysts develop in glandular organs when ducts are blocked, commonly in kidney tubules, mammary glands, and sweat glands. Most cysts can be aspirated for treatment and/or cytology (diagnostic purposes); often cysts require surgical removal.

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Cyst

Cyst

A cyst is a small, balloon-like swelling anywhere in the body. A cyst may contain air, fluid, or solid content contained within a sac. Usually, cysts are harmless, but they may be removed surgically if they cause discomfort or distress to the people who have them.

Cysts may develop in many areas on the inside or outside of the body. They may be found in the mouth around a developing tooth, in the skin around a hair follicle or sweat gland, in other glands, in the spinal cord, in the liver, in bone tissue, in ovaries*, and in other parts of the body.

Cysts form most often when fluid in a gland* becomes blocked in the ducts or tubes leading out of the gland. Sometimes cysts form because the glands are overactive and produce more fluid than the tissues can absorb. Another cause of cyst formation is the presence of parasites in vital organs, like the liver or brain.

Ganglion cysts of the wrist used to be called “Bible bumps.” The home remedy for ganglion cysts used to be rupturing them by hitting them with a big book. Many people had only the Farmer’s Almanac and the Bible in the home. Because the Bible was the bigger book, it was used to break the cyst.

Most cysts do not need treatment. If cysts become painful, or if they form on visible parts of the body like the hand or around the ears, the doctor may remove them. Cysts can be removed by sucking out the fluid with a needle and syringe (aspiration) or with surgery. Surgery is more effective. When the fluid is removed with a needle, there is a tendency for the cyst to return. Sometimes cysts disappear without any treatment.

See also

Tumor

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cyst

cyst
/ sist/
•
n. Biol.
in an animal or plant, a thin-walled, hollow organ or cavity containing a liquid secretion; a sac, vesicle, or bladder. ∎ Med.
in the body, a membranous sac or cavity of abnormal character containing fluid.
∎
a tough protective capsule enclosing the larva of a parasitic worm or the resting stage of an organism.

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